Photos: Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter Ready For Barclays War

by David P. Greisman

Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter both made weight for their welterweight title bout, though Porter had to drop his underwear before jumping on the scales.

It worked for Porter, who came in at the division limit of 147 pounds. Thurman remained in his underwear and was comfortably within the limit at 146.

“It’s kind of become a part of what I do, as far as the weigh-in goes,” Porter said afterward. “I started doing that a little while ago, and it just feels right to get on the scale with nothing on and let you know that I’m really at weight.”

Porter’s last fight was just about a year ago, a June 20, 2015, win over Adrien Broner in which Porter comfortably made a catch-weight of 144 pounds.

That victory brought him to 26-1-1 with 16 KOs. The draw came against Julio Diaz in 2012 and was righted with a decision win in 2013. Later in 2013, Porter topped Devon Alexander to win a world title. He defended it with a demolition of Paulie Malignaggi before suffering his sole pro defeat, a majority decision loss to Kell Brook.

Thurman is 26-0 with 22 KOs. He held an “interim” version of the WBA title and then the secondary “regular” title while Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the sanctioning body’s super champion. With Mayweather’s retirement, this will be Thurman’s first defense as the primary WBA titleholder.

He is coming off decision wins over Leonard Bundu and Robert Guerrero and then a seventh-round stoppage of Luis Collazo in his last outing, which was back in July 2015.

Thurman-Porter took some time to make after both fighters won last year. It was originally scheduled for this past March and then postponed after Thurman got hurt in a car crash.

“This is my career on the line, my title on the line, my undefeated record on the line,” Thurman said after the weigh-in. “I’ma do what I do. I practice what I teach. The boy is going to sleep.”

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